Heat exchangers, such as those used as radiators in vehicles, comprise a pair of tank units providing chambers therein for containing engine fluid or coolant. A plurality of parallel tubes are connected between the tank units with air centers provided therebetween for directing the flow of air through the radiator to conductively cool fluid within tubes as air passes through the air centers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,815, issued Mar. 24, 1987 in the name of Logic et al, sets forth a tank of a plastic material with a header of a metal material. The joint between the dissimilar materials must be provided by a clamping force, due to the fact that brazing and soldering cannot be employed. The '815 patent discloses use of a groove in the header plate having a bottom wall surrounded by an upstanding wall which has spaced apertures therein. A compressible gasket is located in the groove. The plastic tank has a series of outwardly projecting lugs or fingers configured to be fitted within the grooves compressing the gasket so that the gasket effects the seal between the tank and the header plate. The fingers lock within the apertures.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,035, issued Mar. 5, 1991 in the name of Beatenbough et al discloses a connection for heat exchangers between the headers and tanks which utilizes a header providing a C-shaped channel and a tank providing an arm with a flange extending outwardly. The channel receives the arm for retaining the flange within the C-shaped channel and a seal is provided along the base of the channel.